EDEN
There has always been something so very personal about an item of jewelry. And most of our own pieces can tell a story of their own. Perhaps a family heirloom that has been passed down through the generations, or simply our own wedding bands that remind us of our special day, even a necklace from our young daughter that she has painstakingly made with dried macaroni tubes! They’re all irreplaceable, and we love nothing more than to share the stories behind each of them.
So today, I would like to introduce you to the EDEN ministry. They have produced the most heartwarming collections; Each with their own story to tell. You see, this isn’t ‘just’ trinkets, no, this jewelry has a purpose.
“TOGETHER WITH WOMEN RESCUED FROM HUMAN TRAFFICKING,
WE CREATE PRECIOUS JEWELRY THAT CARRIES THEIR STORIES.”
WE CREATE PRECIOUS JEWELRY THAT CARRIES THEIR STORIES.”
Each collection comes with the most beautiful and inspirational name, complete with a story of struggle, rescue and a new start.
THE COMMITTED MOVEMENT
[com·mit·ted] adjective Wholeheartedly dedicated
“The Committed Necklace isn’t just a beautiful piece of jewelry, it is a movement.”
“The Committed Necklace isn’t just a beautiful piece of jewelry, it is a movement.”
“There is a woman somewhere out there at this moment who is forced into sexual exploitation. She feels small, lacking in worth, unclean, and forgotten. She has experienced repeated sexual violence and abuse at the hands of her capturers in an effort to break her will and make her comply with theirs. This trauma has become the daily reality of her life, and she has come to believe that this is the truth of who she is. She feels hopeless, unworthy, and alone.
At Eden, we are committed to speaking truth to these women and letting them know that they are not forgotten or alone. But there are only a few of us and there are so many women out there with a story like the one above. This is where we invite you to join our movement of commitment.
When you purchase and wear Eden’s Committed Necklace, it represents a promise from you.
Each necklace has a middle heart that is given to a young girl or woman during weekly outreach. When we give it to her, we tell her that somewhere in another city or country there is a person wearing the other half of her necklace. We tell her that this person is committed to her through remembering her. This is important because this may be the first time anyone has ever been committed to her or promised to remember her and fight for her rights.
At Eden, we are committed to speaking truth to these women and letting them know that they are not forgotten or alone. But there are only a few of us and there are so many women out there with a story like the one above. This is where we invite you to join our movement of commitment.
When you purchase and wear Eden’s Committed Necklace, it represents a promise from you.
Each necklace has a middle heart that is given to a young girl or woman during weekly outreach. When we give it to her, we tell her that somewhere in another city or country there is a person wearing the other half of her necklace. We tell her that this person is committed to her through remembering her. This is important because this may be the first time anyone has ever been committed to her or promised to remember her and fight for her rights.
We often feel paralyzed by the enormity of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, and we can forget that there are real people behind the numbers. The Committed Necklace reminds you, the wearer, that every trafficking and exploitation survivor has a face. She is a person. She has a heart and a soul. She is not an issue or a cause. She is worthy, precious, and valuable. And she holds the middle heart of your Committed Necklace.
We ask you to commit to remember the woman holding the middle heart to your necklace and to raise awareness about human trafficking. This purchase is a direct opportunity for you to be a part of a movement bringing freedom to exploited women.
We also invite you to use the email address below to send a personalized message of hope and encouragement to the person holding the middle heart to your Committed Necklace.
The Eden team will translate your message and give it along with the middle heart as a gift to a woman we meet in the red light districts.”
We ask you to commit to remember the woman holding the middle heart to your necklace and to raise awareness about human trafficking. This purchase is a direct opportunity for you to be a part of a movement bringing freedom to exploited women.
We also invite you to use the email address below to send a personalized message of hope and encouragement to the person holding the middle heart to your Committed Necklace.
The Eden team will translate your message and give it along with the middle heart as a gift to a woman we meet in the red light districts.”
“I dare you not to be touched by the stories, or indeed these magnificent pieces of jewelry. Bracelets, necklaces, earrings, keychains; for women, and yes - for the man in your life too.”
“Human trafficking is an ongoing threat and it’s a curse that has spread around the world, destroying lives, families and entire communities. But we can each do something to help. We can contact the authorities, the moment that we are suspicious of anything and we can donate to any number of grass roots causes, that are all desperately fighting to save these victims from their pain and suffering. “
How can buying jewelry help with something so devastatingly huge? Well, EDEN have been doing just that for years. This charity has grown wings that are already spanning the globe. Here in Scotland, I first discovered this wonderful jewelry and cause at the Falkirk Vineyard Church, who believe strongly in the act of giving. Heather Cunningham, from The Vineyard throws her heart and soul into this venture, but insists that it is a group victory, and adding that every single penny raised from sales go directly to the EDEN ministry.
“Heather Cunningham, The Falkirk Vineyard Church.”
“With more than 40 million victims of modern slavery around the world* we are committed to calling the nations to speak up until all are free. Eden has been working with trafficked girls and women in Asia for over 15 years. In those 15 years, programs have been implemented in five major cities and over 500 women have been rescued. Eden has a thorough and innovative victim support program that is holistic in its approach, and highly effective in the restoration of victims.
Eden began with two housewives, with one evening a week to spare, wanting to address the injustice of human trafficking in their city. After doing research, scoping out red light areas and praying they slowly began to form relationships with those involved in the commercial sex industry. Motivated by our Christian faith, the vision was to reach everyone involved in the red light community and to see women set free and areas transformed. We have established multiple safe shelters, developed an international jewelry social enterprise and witnessed thousands of people involved in commercial sexual exploitation be impacted.
Eden provides safe shelter, trauma informed care, vocational training and employment to empower each woman that comes through our doors to find their worth, dignity and renewed hope for the future.
The Eden ‘Theory of Change’ is based on a reach, rescue and restore model.
• Reach entire red light districts and those trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced marriage through innovative prevention, outreach, and advocacy strategies – transforming entire communities
• Rescue the sexually exploited and those in forced marriage, and provide a safe and dignified environment for them to live, work and heal
• Restore dignity and hope for their future with trauma informed care and economic empowerment through employment Every woman that has left the red light districts and come to Eden is a survivor of trafficking where they were coerced, forced or deceived into sex work or marriage. They were exploited because someone took advantage of the fact that they were vulnerable.
In the red light districts, the women lived a life under the close watch and control of their pimps and bosses. They were intimidated and threatened into compliance. They were often confined and even at times chained. They became human commodities traded on the streets, entertainment establishments, or increasingly, on the internet. Most importantly, they lived in shame and hopelessness – believing that hope and freedom were out of their reach.
In recent years, Eden has been seeing a rising number of women who have been trafficked across borders for forced marriage. There are now over 15 million victims of forced marriage*. Young girls and women are married to men that they have never met before and often in socio-economic circumstances equal to, or worse than, the rural villages of the home country which they had traveled from. Many of these arranged marriages were premised on lies, deception and false promises.
The marriages were often characterized by violence, abuse and sometimes rape from the husband and the husband’s family members. The long journey for women to return to their home country or to a safe environment is fraught with challenges because often they lack legal identification, and there are language barriers, racial discrimination and a lack of support of friends and family.
All profits from the social enterprise directly benefit each woman that comes to Eden (salary, services, shelter and other programs), so that more of the women that leave the red light districts can be provided with the opportunity to gain training and employment.”
Eden began with two housewives, with one evening a week to spare, wanting to address the injustice of human trafficking in their city. After doing research, scoping out red light areas and praying they slowly began to form relationships with those involved in the commercial sex industry. Motivated by our Christian faith, the vision was to reach everyone involved in the red light community and to see women set free and areas transformed. We have established multiple safe shelters, developed an international jewelry social enterprise and witnessed thousands of people involved in commercial sexual exploitation be impacted.
Eden provides safe shelter, trauma informed care, vocational training and employment to empower each woman that comes through our doors to find their worth, dignity and renewed hope for the future.
The Eden ‘Theory of Change’ is based on a reach, rescue and restore model.
• Reach entire red light districts and those trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced marriage through innovative prevention, outreach, and advocacy strategies – transforming entire communities
• Rescue the sexually exploited and those in forced marriage, and provide a safe and dignified environment for them to live, work and heal
• Restore dignity and hope for their future with trauma informed care and economic empowerment through employment Every woman that has left the red light districts and come to Eden is a survivor of trafficking where they were coerced, forced or deceived into sex work or marriage. They were exploited because someone took advantage of the fact that they were vulnerable.
In the red light districts, the women lived a life under the close watch and control of their pimps and bosses. They were intimidated and threatened into compliance. They were often confined and even at times chained. They became human commodities traded on the streets, entertainment establishments, or increasingly, on the internet. Most importantly, they lived in shame and hopelessness – believing that hope and freedom were out of their reach.
In recent years, Eden has been seeing a rising number of women who have been trafficked across borders for forced marriage. There are now over 15 million victims of forced marriage*. Young girls and women are married to men that they have never met before and often in socio-economic circumstances equal to, or worse than, the rural villages of the home country which they had traveled from. Many of these arranged marriages were premised on lies, deception and false promises.
The marriages were often characterized by violence, abuse and sometimes rape from the husband and the husband’s family members. The long journey for women to return to their home country or to a safe environment is fraught with challenges because often they lack legal identification, and there are language barriers, racial discrimination and a lack of support of friends and family.
All profits from the social enterprise directly benefit each woman that comes to Eden (salary, services, shelter and other programs), so that more of the women that leave the red light districts can be provided with the opportunity to gain training and employment.”
Heather, along with others from her congregation, are in Edinburgh this Friday and Saturday, with a full selection of these beautiful pieces. All items are available direct from the EDEN website at www.edenministry.org but if you really can’t wait to have your own pieces for this amazing cause, then come along to the Princess Gardens in Edinburgh, You’ll find Heather and her EDEN table of stunning jewelry, in the shade of the majestic Edinburgh Castle that is nestled high above the historic gardens.
